TECHWell 2016 is a professional conference for TypeWell and other speech-to-text providers*, disability service coordinators, business owners, IT staff, AT specialists, and anyone else involved in the delivery and support of communication access services for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

* The program is designed for those who provide real-time meaning-for-meaning services, such as TypeWell transcribers and C-Print® captionists. Because this is a TypeWell-hosted event, the technical/skill-building workshops are focused on the TypeWell software system. Most of the workshops will not be relevant to verbatim captionists, such as CART and voice writers. If you have questions, please contact us!

Opening Keynote Address

Kevin Carter
Executive Director
Deaf Centers of Nevada
Las Vegas, NV
Kevin is the Executive Director for Deaf Centers of Nevada. The Deaf Centers of Nevada is a non-profit agency that provides services, resources and advocacy for over 3500 Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in the state of Nevada.
Prior to his tenure at the Deaf Centers of Nevada, Kevin worked as a Regional Medical Director for two nationwide veterinarian corporations located in New York, Texas and California. After attending the University of Southern California, Kevin began his career working at Tower Records as a Video Store Manager, where he ascended through the ranks to become the West Coast Vice President of Operations.
Kevin lives with his wife and 2 year old daughter in Las Vegas.

Workshop Presenters

Sharon J. Allen
Coordinator of Interpreting and Transcribing
Disability Services
Portland Community College
Portland, OR
Sharon coordinates transcribing and interpreting services at Portland Community College in Portland, OR. She has been transcribing since 2003 and has been an interpreter since 1982. She has presented on TypeWell nationally at PEPNet and also at various regional conferences.

Symbolically Speaking: Getting Your Hands on Math Mode!

Jill Baker, MA, CI, CT, Ed:k-12
Director of ASL Services
Strada Communication, Inc.
Vancouver, WA
Jill has been a professional interpreter for the past 24 years. She is currently the Director of ASL Services at Strada Communication, Inc. She has worked in various freelance settings to include K-12, Post-Secondary, medical, VRS, legal, mental health and religious situations. She has worked as a as a sign language interpreter coordinator in a K -12 setting for 10 years.

Creating Flow at Work: What We Learn from Peak Performers

Ethical Decision Making: Using Demand-Control Schema

More than Words on a Page: Service Models for Transcribing Professionals

Cindy Camppepnet 2 Strategic Planning TeamDisability Support Services
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, AL
Cindy is the eLearning Coordinator with Pepnet 2. She holds a Master’s degree in English, is a nationally certified interpreter, certified in mental health interpreting in Alabama, as well as a C-Print captioninst and trainer. She has provided access services in the postsecondary setting for over 20 years. She coordinates all pn2 QuickClass, maintains the website, and manages Moodle activities.

Post Production Captioning: What’s the big deal?

Professionalism and Ethics for Speech-to-Text Service Providers

Two Services, One Provider: Challenges and Advantages for Dual Service Providers

Chanel Carlascio
CEO
Strada Communication, Inc.
Vancouver, WA
Chanel is founder and CEO of Strada Communication, Inc. and has a diverse background as an ASL Interpreter, TypeWell Transcriber, and Coordinator of Deaf and Hard Of Hearing Services. Chanel is the Steering Committee Chair for the Portland Business Leadership Network which focuses on disability in the workplace.

Creating Flow at Work: What We Learn from Peak Performers

Ethical Decision Making: Using Demand-Control Schema

More than Words on a Page: Service Models for Transcribing Professionals

Melisa Choroszy, PhD
Associate Vice President for Enrollment
Student Services
University of Nevada, Reno
Melisa has served as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services and Registrar for the past 27 years at the University of Nevada, Reno. She oversees a number of offices in the Student Services Division and is the Project Lead for the PeopleSoft Student Information System. Additionally, Melisa is the chair of the Electronic Information & Technology committee, a group of key administrative and academic faculty who are developing and supporting Universal Design on the UNR campus.

Universal Design Panel

Shannon Cowling
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHH) Coordinator
Kent State University
Kent, OH
Shannon is the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHH) Coordinator at Kent State University and Video Relay Interpreter for Sorenson Communications. She has worked as an American Sign Language interpreter since 1998 and holds NIC certification. Her interpreting practice spans over community, education, and video relay settings. Shannon became a TypeWell transcriber in 2013. As the DHH Coordinator for Student Accessibility Services, she evaluates and coordinates accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing students. She is a graduate student in the Higher Education Administration program and is eager to graduate in 2017.

ATSP Information Session

Becky Davidson
Transcription Coordinator
Academic Success Offices
Disability Services for Students (DSS)
University of Nebraska Kearney
Becky is the Transcription Coordinator at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) as well as a qualified TypeWell Transcriber. She has formed a connections group for students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, connecting students with one another, and with mentors in the community. She is currently developing and implementing outreach programs to foster an environment of inclusion across the UNK campus. Becky will earn her Master’s degree in Disability Studies from City University of New York (CUNY) in May, 2016. She earned a Master’s Certificate in Disability Studies from CUNY and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from West Texas State University.

Quality Is No Accident: Raising quality standards for DHH accommodations without raising costs

Wendy Eldridge
Lead Captionist
RIT/NTID
Rochester, NY
Wendy works as a TypeWell transcriber/captionist in the Access Services Department of RIT/NTID in Rochester, New York. Her department has 50+ captionists, 150+ interpreters, 400+ student notetakers, and they're still growing! In addition to providing live captioning for classes and special events or requests across RIT's nine colleges, Wendy has the privilege of helping new hires acclimate to the department, campus, and their new assignments.

There’s Always More to Learn! A “Pinterest” for Professional Development

Kate Ervin
Director
TypeWell
Patagonia, AZ
Kate has served as TypeWell's Director since 2011, a TypeWell trainer since 2009, and a transcriber since 2004. She holds a Master's in Urban Planning from Hunter College CUNY, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from The University of Arizona. She is based in Arizona but spends most of the year touring North America by RV (her full-time mobile office) with her partner and two dogs.

TypeWell Linking: It’s Not Just for Techies Anymore

Professionalism and Ethics for Speech-to-Text Service Providers

Cost, Convenience, and Quality Considerations for Remote Services: What do we gain or lose by taking the transcriber out of the classroom?

Tracy Fahey-Shanahan
Parent & Educational Advocate
Highland Village, TX
Tracy has a background in educational advocacy and IEP mediation. She has completed the Wrights Law training program and obtained her mediator credentials at TWU. Tracy has done extensive legal research, outreach, and advocacy on behalf of her own child, and well as coaching other parents of children of varied disabilities. Her passion is obtaining accessibility for K-12 deaf students. She is well-versed in both federal laws and state regulations related to educational accessibility.

A Parent’s Perspective: Getting The Right Tools for Your Kids

Holly Fox-Schauffner
Lead Transcriber
Office of Accessibility Services
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Holly began her career in 2000 as a sign language interpreter. In 2005, she began working as a TypeWell Transcriber. Holly now serves as Lead Transcriber at West Virginia University providing TypeWell services and support to WVU students, faculty, and staff as well as working for agencies providing remote TypeWell transcription services.

Two Services, One Provider: Challenges and Advantages for Dual Service Providers

Taylor Goen
TypeWell Transcriber
Disability Resource Center
University of Nevada, Reno
Taylor is a student and a TypeWell transcriber with the Disability Resource Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is pursuing audiology as a career path, and really loves dogs.

Learning to Love Your P.A.L.

Kevin Hadduck
Director
Academic Resource Center
Student Success and Disability Services
Carroll College
Kevin serves as Director of the Academic Resource Center at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. His work involves administering disability services, alternate and make-up testing services, tutoring programs, and college success instruction. Hadduck is also a poet, hiker, and wood butcher.

From Mowing the Lawn to Watching the Grass Grow

Randi Hecht
Owner
Intellitext LLC
Reno, NV
Randi has been working with the d/Deaf and hard of hearing since 2007 in Reno, Nevada. In January of 2011, Randi founded Intellitext, an organization providing TypeWell transcription and captioning services. Intellitext has since expanded onsite across Nevada, Colorado, Utah, California, and remotely around the nation. Randi was honored by the U.S. Small Business Association's Nevada Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2016 and has been featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal, Las Vegas Business Press, and Northern Nevada Business Weekly for her entrepreneurship and support of women business owners.

Going Remote: The Benefits, Needs, and Challenges

Mary Heid
Coordinator, Assistive Technology
System Administrator, Enrollment Services
University of Nevada, Reno
Mary has 20 years of experience in higher education technology and has been working as the Coordinator of University of Nevada, Reno’s Electronic Information Technology initiative for the past 18 months.

Universal Design Panel

Janet Fedorchuk
Assistant Director of Education
TypeWell
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Janet has been a TypeWell transcriber since 2003 and a TypeWell teacher since 2012. She has had the opportunity to work at many different colleges and universities in Washington and British Columbia. She has co-facilitated several online professional development courses, including "Skill Building for New TypeWell Transcribers" (a pepnet 2 QuickClass) and courses offered through TypeWell's Learning & Enrichment Online (LEO). She lives in beautiful White Rock, BC.

The ABC’s of Transcriber Training

Jason Kapcala
Coordinator of Auxiliary Aids
Office of Accessibility Services
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Jason serves West Virginia University as their Coordinator of Auxiliary Aids and as a TypeWell Transcriber. Originally from northeast Pennsylvania, Jason has earned degrees in Creative Writing from Penn State University, Ohio University, and West Virginia University. Jason’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has appeared in a number of magazines and journals.

Going Remote: The Benefits, Needs, and Challenges

Jess Leiter
Communications Specialist
Vital Signs LLC
Greencastle, PA
Jess has been a TypeWell transcriber since 2006 and the Communications Specialist for Vital Signs LLC, an agency that provides services for individuals requesting Sign Language Interpreting, VRI, On-Site and Remote Transcribing (CART, TypeWell and C-Print) and Readers/Scribes, since 2013. As the Communications Specialist, Jess spends her time coordinating both remote and onsite TypeWell/CART services, providing technical support and interacting with the TypeWell/CART providers.

Quality Is No Accident: Raising quality standards for DHH accommodations without raising costs

Jason McKenna
Coordinator of Speech-to-Text Services
Utah Valley University
Orem, UT
Jason is the Coordinator of Speech-to-Text Services at Utah Valley University, one of the largest TypeWell providers in the country with 16 TypeWell Transcribers. Jason is also an active TypeWell Transcriber himself, having provided TypeWell services in university classrooms for 11 years. During that time, Jason has been a beta tester for TypeWell versions 6 and 7. Jason enjoys being a transcriber and a coordinator and loves finding ways to push the transcribing skill to new heights.

Typing Speed: The Mechanics of Faster Typing

Andrea Olvera-Juillerat
Lead Interpreter
Disability Resource Center
University of Nevada, Reno
Andrea is a certified sign language interpreter with over 15 years’ experience in the field.

Beginner's ASL

Blake E. Reid
Assistant Clinical Professor
Colorado Law
Boulder, CO
Blake studies, teaches, and practices in the intersection of law, policy, and technology. He serves as the Director of the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic (TLPC) and a Faculty Director of Fellowships and Special Projects at the Silicon Flatirons Center at Colorado Law.

Navigating Conflicts Between Accessibility and Copyright

Samantha Redman
TypeWell Transcriber/Mentor
Disability Resource Center
University of Nevada, Reno
Samantha is a transcriber and mentor for the TypeWell team at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has been transcribing since 2012.

Learning to Love Your P.A.L.

Valerie Sturm (CSC, CI, NAD 5, M.Ed, almost Ed.D)
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Coordinator
Disability Services
BYU-Idaho
Rexburg, ID
Val is a 35 year veteran interpreter as well as an experienced Typewell transcriber. She currently coordinates services for deaf and hard of hearing students between medical VRI work, grandchildren, and playing with her beloved horses.

(CANCELED) TypeWell-Supported Accommodations for Signing Students

Jodi Tobin
Staff Transcriber
Office of Student Life Disability Services
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Jodi has been a staff transcriber at The Ohio State University since 2004. She is one of the initial incorporators of the Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-text Providers (ATSP). Jodi is collaborating with Karen Walraven and Student Life at OSU to create an organization on campus for students who are hard of hearing.

ATSP Information Session

Bethann Traino
Staff Captionist
RIT/NTID
Rochester, NY
Bethann has been a staff transcriber/captionist in the Access Services Department at RIT/NTID in Rochester, New York since 2004. She enjoys being in the classroom transcribing in real-time for the wide variety of majors offered at RIT. Bethann is proud to be part of a growing department of over 50 transcribers/captionists.

There’s Always More to Learn! A “Pinterest” for Professional Development

Robbin Vasquez
Adjunct Professor
University of Nevada, Reno
Robbin has worked with people with disabilities for over 20 years as a special educator, assistive technology consultant, university instructor, advocate, and parent. She has been appointed to several state boards focusing on the needs of people with disabilities and has presented at state and national conferences.

Never Would I Ever….Microaggressions and How Our Language Can Shape Perception

Karen Walraven
Staff Transcriber
Office of Student Life Disability Services
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Karen has been a staff transcriber at The Ohio State University since 2004. She is one of the initial incorporators of the Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-text Providers (ATSP). Karen is collaborating with Jodi Tobin and Student Life at OSU to create an organization on campus for students who are hard of hearing.

ATSP Information Session

Isabel Youngs
TypeWell Transcriber
Disability Resource Center
University of Nevada, Reno
Izzy was hired at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2014 to be a transcriber, and she plans to continue working in disability services as an administrator in the future.

Learning to Love Your P.A.L.

Mary Zabel, M.S. E.T/P
Director
Disability Resource Center
University of Nevada, Reno
Mary is the Director of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. Mary is a Learning Disability Specialist and is an active member of the Association of Higher Education and Disability. Mary has over 30 years of experience as an administrator of disability services in higher education; 10 years in a California Community College setting and the past 19 years in her current position.

For detailed hotel and travel information, explore the links under the Location menu above.

Conference Location at Whitney Peak Hotel

Whitney Peak is a luxury boutique hotel, located in the heart of downtown Reno and surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The cutoff date for block reservations at the special group rate was May 6, 2016.

Uptime

What is Uptime?
It's the opposite of downtime! During the afternoon/evening of Thursday, June 16, attendees (and their friends and family) will disperse throughout the Reno-Tahoe area in groups. Each group will attend one of several concurrent adventures organized by the conference. All transportation and logistics will be taken care of, so all you need to do is relax, enjoy the sights, and have fun with your colleagues and friends!
Choose one of the following Thursday afternoon Uptime activities, included in your TECHWell 2016 Conference registration ticket. For certain trips, additional tickets for friends and family members can be purchased separately.

Lake Tahoe

A trip around the beautiful Lake Tahoe in a limo party bus. This family-friendly trip will be approximately 5 hours from pick-up to drop-off. The bus will drive you through the breathtaking Tahoe City, Emerald Bay, and Zephyr Cove or Sand Harbor with stops to explore the best scenery/beaches along the way.
Complimentary cocktails and non-alcoholic refreshments available on the bus. The bus will stop somewhere along the route where guests can buy a casual dinner.
To bring a family member or friend along on this trip, please purchase an Uptime add-on ticket. Seats on the party bus are limited!

Virginia City

A trip to Virginia City, an abandoned mining town/ghost town, rich with history and antique shopping. The entire trip from pick-up and drop-off will be approximately 5 hours. This trip is family-friendly.
Attendees will be driven to/from Virginia City in a mini bus, with complimentary cocktails and non-alcoholic refreshments. The bus driver or guide will provide information about a range of dinner options for attendees to choose from while in Virginia City. Upon arrival, attendees will be taken on a 20 minute trolley ride through the city with a tour guide in period accurate costume.
To bring a family member or friend along on this trip, please purchase an Uptime add-on ticket. Seats on the mini bus are limited!

Rafting

A guided rafting tour down the Truckee River with beautiful desert scenery, cottonwood and aspen groves, class II whitewater.

Attendees will be picked up at Whitney Peak Hotel by Truckee River Rafting Company and dropped off with the rafts or inflatable kayaks (depending on water level) at a put-in location upstream. At the end of the float, rafts/inflatable kayaks will be taken out of the river and attendees can either walk back to the hotel (~10 minute walk) or take the shuttle. The entire trip from pick-up to drop-off will take around 3.75 hours total.
We will provide attendees with snacks for the river, but please plan to eat dinner on your own or with your friends after the trip. This activity is subject to sufficient water levels in the Truckee River.
To bring a family member or friend along on this trip, please purchase an Uptime add-on ticket. Seats are limited!

Hiking

A variety of hike options from easy to strenuous with beautiful stream crossings and dynamite views. Hikers will be driven by Whitney Peak's valet van to and from the trailhead.
The drop-off point will be Galena Creek Visitor Center, where hikers can pick from a variety of trails. Return pick-up time from the Visitor Center will be decided based on group hiking preferences.
We will provide attendees with snacks for the trail, but please plan to eat dinner on your own or with your friends after the trip.
Family members or friends may join you on this trip at no extra charge if they provide their own transportation to and from the trailhead. Otherwise, please purchase an Uptime add-on ticket. Seats in the valet van are limited!

Shopping

Shoppers will be given an Uber or Lyft credit to take them to/from Legends Outlet Mall, a newly built outdoor mall with many restaurants and a new Imax/3D movie theater.
We will provide shoppers with snacks for the ride to the mall, but please plan to eat dinner on your own or with your friends.
Family members or friends may join you for this Uptime activity if they provide their own transportation to and from the mall or carpool with you.

The Discovery Museum

A newly built interactive museum in Reno celebrating the nature, science, and weather of the Silver State. Walking distance from the Whitney Peak Hotel, the Discovery Museum is great for children and adults.
We will provide museumgoers with snacks for the walk over, but please plan to eat dinner on your own or with your friends. Total time in the museum will be ~1.25 hours due to museum closing time at 5 pm.
Family members or friends are welcome to join you for this Uptime activity and purchase their own museum admission.

National Automobile Museum

A 100,000-square-foot museum with some of the most beautiful and unusual cars you will ever see. The National Automobile Museum was selected by AutoWeek magazine as one of America’s Five Greatest Automobile Museums in March 2012. The Automobile Museum is walking distance from Whitney Peak Hotel.
We will provide museumgoers with snacks for the walk over, but please plan to eat dinner on your own or with your friends. Total time in the museum will be ~1.75 hours due to museum closing time at 5:30 pm.
Family members or friends are welcome to join you for this Uptime activity and purchase their own museum admission.